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Wednesday July 3, 2013 6:23 AM

A trip to London provides an occasion to compare and contrast British politics and attitudes
with those in America.

In America the big-spending policies of the Obama administration have been followed by sluggish
economic growth, persistently high unemployment and low workforce participation.

The British coalition’s cuts in what Americans call discretionary spending have been followed by
roughly zero economic growth but relatively low unemployment and relatively high workforce
participation.

In neither country is any party confident of winning the next presidential or general election.
In both countries young voters may be critical in determining who wins.

Young voters in both countries hold libertarian views on cultural issues. They tend to favor
same-sex marriage and legalized marijuana, while the elderly tend to be opposed. But there is an
apparent difference on economic issues.

Americans under 30 tend to support big-government policies more than their elders. They’re
likely to tell pollsters that government should do more to solve problems — a position rejected by
most American voters over the last 30 years.

This Millennial generation was also far more likely to support Barack Obama, who won 66 percent
of their votes in 2008 and 60 percent in 2012. Obama carried older voters by only 1 percent in 2008
and lost them to Mitt Romney in 2012.

Young Brits seem to take a different view. In British Social Attitudes surveys, they reject the
policy of government-paid residential care for the elderly and express approval for big
companies.

They were born into a Britain where Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives privatized state
industries and sold public housing units to tenants. They evidently dislike paying high taxes to
support the currently scandal-plagued National Health Services (“ring-fenced” or spared from
spending cuts, by the coalition government).

And they seem to heartily support the coalition’s cuts in welfare spending. They may have a hard
time finding jobs, and they resent those who are sponging off the government for life.

Conservatives in Britain have hopes of winning more Millennial votes in 2015. The most popular
political figure among the young is London’s Conservative and libertarian Mayor Boris Johnson.

And the coalition government has pushed legalization of same-sex marriage through both houses of
Parliament. Prime Minister David Cameron speaks passionately on the subject.

This has caused some backlash among older Conservative Party members and voters.

Are there lessons here for America’s Republicans, who some say are doomed because of high
support for Barack Obama among Hispanics and Millennials?

Perhaps. The proprietors of Obamacare are sounding panicked about the possibility that many
Millennials will not sign up for insurance on the health exchanges.

Obamacare requires that the relatively poor young pay for the greater medical needs of the
relatively rich old.

The penalty for remaining uninsured is tiny compared to the cost of insurance premiums. And
Obamacare guarantees that you can buy health insurance when you get sick or pregnant.

Obama’s percentage among young voters slipped more than among their elders between 2008 and
2012.

Republicans face problems with the young on cultural issues. Most Republican officeholders and
voters oppose same-sex marriage.

But at least for a time, that issue was removed from national politics and sent to the states by
two Supreme Court decisions.

Legalizing same-sex marriage in many states will require referendums. That tends to make the
issue far less partisan. If Republicans want to appeal to Millennials, they should frame this as a
matter of conscience, not politics, and show respect for the strong feelings on both sides.

Young Americans, like young Brits, want to choose their future. Republicans should argue their
policies enable them to do so.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner.